Berri: LF only seeking bickering, opposition doesn't want election of president

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has rejected the latest paper issued by the opposition’s 31 lawmakers and has not seen in it a “roadmap” for resolving the presidential crisis, sources close to him said.

“The opposition members who reject dialogue, mainly the Lebanese Forces, are only working for political bickering,” the sources quoted Berri as saying, in remarks to Annahar newspaper published Thursday.

“The majority of them do not want presidential elections for a host of considerations related to their interests, thinking that they might take advantage of expected events to serve their future agenda and achieve a number of goals,” Berri added, according to the sources.

LF leader Samir Geagea had on Wednesday accused Berri’s camp of rejecting dialogue over the presidential file, a day after the opposition proposed two suggestions for resolving the crisis.

“For two years, the groups of the Axis of Resistance have been calling for dialogue, dialogue, dialogue under the excuse of finalizing the presidential juncture. Their lying and hypocrisy have become evident to all Lebanese,” the LF leader added.

“Once the opposition unanimously proposed yesterday two serious suggestions for finalizing the presidential juncture, they raised their voices left and right to reject, condemn and deplore. Are you truly the same people who have been calling for dialogue for the past two years?” Geagea wondered.